There is an increasing need for individuals to be able to conveniently and securely verify their identities via biometric authentication for various types of transactions with entities.
Conventionally, in a biometric authentication system, individuals must present their biometric data to an entity via an entity device. The entity device then communicates with a data processing system to affect biometric data matching of the presented biometric data to registered biometric data to determine if individuals presenting the biometric data are who they claim to be. However, for some individuals, presenting biometric data via an entity device has proven a transaction deterrent, as they may question the security of entering such personal data into the entity device.
There are numerous problems with this conventional approach. First, the conventional approach is often uncomfortable for the individual to use, as he must enter a significant amount of personal data into an entity device, thereby trusting the entity with his highly personal data. Second, this approach requires that an entity invest in a biometric device that it may not use often and must incorporate somewhere near a point of transaction where it inevitably monopolizes valuable space. Third, this approach is inflexible in that it requires that the individual and entity be co-located in order to affect a transaction. Fourth, in the case of a financial, token-based transaction, those made without a card being physically present (as in the case of a telephone or Internet order) are charged a higher “discount rate” than transactions where the card is present. The discount rate is the amount that the credit card associations, issuing banks, acquiring banks, and third-party transaction processors collectively charge the entity (e.g., merchant) on each transaction, generally expressed as a percentage of the gross transaction amount. Discount rates of 3%-5% for card-not-present transactions are common.
As a result, there is a need for a system that solves these problems. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new biometric authentication system and method for facilitating identity verification of individuals conducting transactions that allows an individual to utilize an individual device to enter sensitive biometric data into the system.
Biometric authentication systems are known in the art; examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,012 to Hoffman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,812 to Pare, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,723 to Pare, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,148 to Pare, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,879 to Pare, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,613,659 to Hoffman, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,512,567 to Bemmel, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,269,737 to Robinson, all of which are incorporated by reference.
In particular, it is an object of the invention that an individual be enabled to use an individual device to facilitate verification of his identity in a variety of transactions.
It is another object of the invention that the system and method are secure, eliminating the possibility of fraud via intercepting transmissions from the individual device.
It is another object of the invention that the system and method provide the flexibility of supporting multiple types of individual and entity devices.
It is still another object of the invention that it be easy to integrate the present invention with existing entity computer, information, and transaction systems.